


The one with the relationship talk

by JanuaryCafe



Series: It's Classified [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-15 22:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8075557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JanuaryCafe/pseuds/JanuaryCafe
Summary: The one with the relationship talk out on the lanai.(This occurs between parts 1 and 2).





	

**Author's Note:**

> Not much CIA in this one, but the guys needed to have a heart-to-heart. :)

Danny was staring. He knew he was staring. Steve was lounging on the lanai next to him, a beer in one hand and Danny’s hand in the other. He looked down at their fingers tangled together. Steve’s thumb stroked across his knuckles and a tingle made its way up Danny’s arm.

“Hey, you with me? Danno.”

Danny blinked at looked up to see Steve’s amused face. “I’m here.”

“You drifted on me for a minute there. Everything okay?”

Frowning, Danny leaned back and took a swallow of his Longboard. “I think I’m just in a little bit of shock.”

“Why? What happened?” Steve’s voice was tinged with concern, and his grip tightened. Danny could see the change in his posture from the corner of his eye, going from relaxed to alert.

“Take a breath, Rambo. Nothing bad. I’m just surprised that this,” he waved between them with his beer, “is going so well. Considering my dating record, which is less than stellar by the way, and how we met.” Danny felt nerves zing up his spine. They hadn’t talked about what they were yet. Not really. There was also the chance that Steve didn’t feel how serious the whole thing was getting. For Danny, the point of ‘probably in too deep’ was passed a while ago. It had only been two weeks and already he was letting the guy call him Danno, despite early insistence that only Grace got to call him that. Danny was discovering that his boundaries were more like welcome mats to Steve.

“Oh.” Steve settled back into his seat. “You are?”

“You’re not?”

Steve shrugged. “Not really. I had a feeling about you.”

“Yeah, well, I had one about you, too. If mine had been right, we would not be sitting here now.”

Steve grinned at him. “So, I won you over.”

“You wore me down.”

“You couldn’t resist me.”

“I told you no like eight times. Eventually it was quicker to give up.”

“Clearly you couldn’t stay away.”

“I was pretty sure if I just left I’d find you out on my porch at three in the morning like a maniac.”

Steve leaned in and kissed him, taking the invitation when Danny opened up. The kiss went long enough and deep enough that Danny’s head was pleasantly buzzing when they pulled apart. “Now you’re on my porch at three in the morning,” Steve said with a smirk.

“Only because my house got condemned and my new apartment doesn’t have a porch.”

“Or a bedroom.”

“It has a bed.”

“It’s a pullout couch.”

“It’s temporary, calm down.”

“I still don’t see why you wouldn’t stay with your brother. You said he has a huge house.”

Work was why. Danny was in the middle of a case that he didn’t want his family anywhere near. And if he was followed home some night, he definitely wasn’t leading them to Grace or Matt. Steve, he was relatively sure, could handle himself if push came to shove. “I don’t like to intrude,” Danny answered, “Unlike some people.”

Steve waved off Danny’s implication. “I recall that you were the one who wanted dinner the day after we met. I suggested coffee.”

“I’ll take credit for that.”

“And the sex afterward?”

“Also my idea. You’re welcome.”

“You always put out on the first date?”

“Only with pushy Navy men.” Which wasn’t strictly true. Danny had had his share of one night stands, but anything that lasted more than a night was often not preceded by getting frisky after a slice of pepperoni pizza. Except with Steve.

“How many of those have there been?”

“Just the one. So far.”

Steve kicked his ankle, and Danny smiled beatifically at him.

“There better be just the one.”

Danny swallowed hard. “There is.” He cleared his throat. “Ah, so, we haven’t really talked about that. Us.” He cleared his throat again. He disliked bringing it up, but Steve had shown no inclination to do so himself, and one of them had to sack up and do it. Danny could be the bigger man.

“We haven’t.” Steve pulled his hand away from Danny’s and ran it through his hair. He sat forward in his seat and started picking at the label on his bottle.

That wasn’t a good sign. Danny sat forward too and took a deep drink from his beer before setting it aside. “Steve, I like you, okay? I’d like to see where this goes.”

“I’m leaving in two days.”

Danny froze. “What?” Steve looked up and locked eyes with him.

“I’m supposed to ship out again in two days. This was temporary leave.”

“Right, yeah, okay. I guess I thought it might be, but I figured if it was you’d say something about it.” Danny tried to keep his voice from sounding as sharp as he felt.

“I was going to. But then when you swore you’d never go out with me again after our first date—”

“You got us _pineapple pizza_ , Steven. It’s an oxymoron and an abomination. What was I supposed to think about a man who would do such a thing? Nothing good.”

“—I figured I should wait and see how it went.”

To be fair to Steve, he did go after Danny when Danny had left in a fit of horror, and even took him out for proper pizza afterward. Danny still thought he had reacted like any sane human would to fruit on their pizza. He didn’t go around throwing hamburger meat in people’s vanilla ice cream, after all.

“It’s gone really well. I thought it would.” Steve looked away again. “I was kind of afraid it would.”

“Huh.” Danny kicked the backs of his shoes into his chair.

“This wasn’t supposed to be a permanent stop.”

“You have a house here,” Danny said.

“It was my parents’ house. My dad moved out after they split up. I bought it. Sentimental, I guess. It’s all paid off, so I keep it even when I’m not here.”

“Right.” Danny shifted back in his seat, his heart somewhere near his insoles. “How often are you here?”

Steve grimaced. “I last saw my sister and parents about three years ago.”

“Huh.” Danny swallowed around a dry tongue. “Two days isn’t bad.” He winced at his tone, which wasn’t easygoing or anything like what he was going for.

“It sucks, Danny. At least I think it does.”

“I do too. Of course I do. But what other option is there?” Danny moved to the edge of his seat and took Steve’s hand back in his. “We’ll just enjoy the two days, okay? And…and I’ll see you again in hopefully less than three years.” His joke fell flat, and he could feel his smile was sad.

“Is that okay with you? I mean, is that enough for you?” Steve held his hand tighter and looked down as he thumbed over Danny’s wrist bones. “If it is, that’s…fine.”

It didn’t sound like it was fine. He watched Steve’s face close off. “It is if that’s all I’m going to get,” Danny said firmly. He wasn’t going to make Steve feel bad for his job, not when Danny’s was as unpredictable as it was, and when he was lying to Steve about it.

“And if there could be more?” Steve looked at him then, searching.

Danny waited a moment and made sure Steve was really listening. “I’ll take anything I can get. Seriously, Steve, you do what you need to do.” He couldn’t get out the rest, about how they hadn’t promised each other anything anyway, and how he’d be fine. It wasn’t true, at least not for Danny. Steve had met Grace, and met Matt, and Steve called him Danno without Danny kicking his ass for it. That was about as serious as Danny got. He could probably do long distance with Steve, if Steve was willing to try. It might even be easier with Danny’s job. The thought made him more morose than hopeful.

Steve nodded. Then, “I got a job offer when I first landed on the island a couple weeks ago. I turned it down.”

“Right. You love the Navy.”

“I do. But I think I might also like this new job. I wouldn’t have to leave the Navy, just not be on active duty anymore.”

“I can’t tell you what to do here, Steve.” Even though he wanted to.

“Of course not. But I do want to know what you think. I’d be staying here. It’s a task force Governor Dennings wants to start.” Steve pulled away for a moment and yanked his chair around until it was squared off facing Danny. He took Danny’s hand again, and Danny could feel that it was slightly clammy. “I didn’t bring this up before because I didn’t want to put pressure on you or on…whatever it is we’re doing.”

Danny tried to joke, “My pizza flip out really did a number on you, huh, babe.” He moved forward in his chair. “I’m not planning on leaving, Steve. I’m here. And I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do… but if this job appeals to you, I definitely won’t fight you on it.”

The smile Steve gave him was wide and bright, and Danny nearly smiled back despite feeling like the pit of his stomach was full of lead. “Good. That’s good. I already took the job.”

“You…” Danny yanked his hand away and punched Steve on the thigh. The guy barely seemed to notice, too busy still smiling at Danny. “Then what the fuck was this, Steve? You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. But I didn’t want to spring this on you if you were counting on me going away or something.” He rubbed at his thigh where Danny had whacked him, but more thoughtfully than as if it hurt. It had to hurt: Danny had a wicked right hook. “I was kind of afraid I’d bring this up and you’d tell me you were only in this for the two weeks.”

Danny exhaled and ran a hand through his hair, not sure whether to kiss Steve or punch him again. There would probably be time for both. “I’m kind of surprised you thought that. I went out with you repeatedly even after _you got me shot_. If I didn’t like you, I certainly didn’t have a whole lot of reasons to stick around.”

“I know,” Steve said smugly, “You definitely like me.”

“I do.”

“And I know we haven’t talked about it, but I’d really like to be able to tell people we’re dating.”

Danny snorted. “Steve, you met my brother and Gracie. She called you ‘Uncle Steve’ the other day. I think people already know.”

Steve’s face lit up. “She did? She called me that?”

“Yes. So it’s a good thing you’re sticking around. I’d have to kick your ass if you made her cry.”

“What do you call me to Grace?”

Danny hesitated. “Not anything, really. Just Steve. I didn’t want to get her hopes up in case things weren’t working out. That plan was a big fat failure by the way, Uncle Steve.”

Steve leaned forward and kissed him, closed-mouthed and sweet. Danny returned the kiss and cupped his hand over the edge of Steve’s jaw. When he wanted more, he pushed Steve back into his chair and climbed on after him, swinging a leg over his hips to straddle him. Steve looked incredibly pleased at the development and settled his hands on Danny’s waist.

“So, it’s official, then. We’re exclusive now.” It would be the first time in a long time Danny had had a serious relationship. The idea of it being with Steve made something warm inside of him, and he leaned down to peck Steve on the mouth. He was surprised when Steve stiffened under him, his hands clenching on Danny’s waist. “What?”

“What did that mean?” Steve asked carefully.

“What do you think? It means we’re going out and being public and all that. You know, telling people, like you said. Not that I have many more people to tell,” Danny replied.

Steve looked away, his mouth firmed into a thin line and his eyes shadowed. “You said ‘exclusive now.’” He took a breath. “We weren’t before?”

“Well, not officially,” Danny repeated, still unclear on why Steve wasn’t happy.

“Were you, uh, seeing anyone else?”

The lightbulb went on, and Danny smiled as he kissed Steve’s frown. “No, there was no one. Just you.” He felt the tension leak from Steve’s body, and his hands started stroking the bottom of Danny’s ribs and the peaks of his hipbones.

“Thank god.”

“Why? I would have just dumped the guy if I was seeing someone else, too.”

“But you weren’t,” Steve said firmly.

Danny heard the request for reassurance in his words. “No.” He couldn’t help it, “But it’s not like it would have mattered. Unless he asked me first not to see anyone else, I guess.”

Steve made a cranky sound deep in his throat and tightened his grip on Danny. “You still would have dumped him for me.”

“Probably.”

Steve angled Danny’s hips and rolled up into him, sending heat spirally through Danny’s body.

“Shit. Yeah, definitely would have.” He wrapped his arms around Steve’s shoulders and leaned his forehead against Steve’s brow. “There wasn’t any competition, Steve. Honestly. You’re the one who was dating someone else.”

“Casually sleeping with someone else,” Steve clarified, “and I told you we haven’t since I met you.”

“You could have, though,” Danny said, though the idea of it made him want to break things. Like bones.

“Nah. I was pretty gone after you called me a crazy person.”

“That gets you going, huh?”

Steve smoothed his hands up Danny’s back and snuck them under his t-shirt on the next pass. His palms were calloused and warm, and Danny let himself lean into the petting. “Could have been worse. You could have punched me.”

“I thought about it. But knowing you like I do now, you probably would have just enjoyed it.” It was true, Danny was sure.

“You were passionate. I liked that.”

Before Steve could kiss him again, Danny leaned back a bit. He had to ask. “Why did you turn the job down in the first place if you think you want it?”

Steve was silent for a moment. “I didn’t see much of a reason to stick around.” He glanced at Danny, his head ducked a little. “I guess I found something that changed my mind.”

Danny looked down at him. Steve was going to get so very lucky.


End file.
